Aakash makers announce contest for app developers

Datawind, the makers of what's being touted as the world's most affordable tablet, yet - Aakash and that of Ubislate, the commercial version of Aakash, have announced a contest for enthusiastic students across the country. A report in Times of India confirms that the contest, will see students from across the country build apps, which if found impressive will find their way to the commercial version of Aakash - Ubislate, which is scheduled for a launch, next year.

The report quotes Suneet Singh Tuli, Chief Executive of Datawind, as saying that students, who's apps will be selected to feature on Ubislate will earn royalties off the usage of the app, thus making this contest a money spinner for them, in addition to being encouraging. In addition to this, the report also reveals that 5 best entries to this contest will receive a lakh rupees. The report further suggests that Ubislate makers have also finalized a deal with Nasscom, as a part of which they will distribute as many as 200 tablets across several NGOs in the country. 

Interestingly, Nasscom have on their part, too announced a contest, wherein 10 NGOs across the country will have a chance of winning 20 tablets, each. This new age computing device, the report states will aid the NGOs in improving their operations and programme implementation. 

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10 must have Free Android Apps

Own an android phone????

Who would have imagined that mere applications running on mobile devices could become an essential part of our lives. Seemingly, these days there's an app for everything. The Android Market is vast and taking advantage of these applications could boost productivity at work, manage daily errands and even help bide away those boring moments while commuting. If you're on a tight budget and who wouldn't be being this close to Christmas, then there are several freebie apps available, which could suffice your needs. We’ve put together some must have free Android apps for your perusal, take a look.

Games :
Angry Birds

Anger management is definitely not on the cards for these birds. This challenging physics-based game can keep you engaged and glued to the screen for hours. We really don’t need to talk about how popular the game has emerged to be, compelling players to blend skill, logic and accurate force for that perfect shot. This game has also been updated with intriguing levels and themes. Unlike its iOS counterparts, the Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons, which have upped the gaming experience further can also be downloaded for free off the App Market.

How to Temporarily Lock your PC when Someone Enter Wrong Password

• In the Start up search box type Local Security Policy and press enter.

• From the left window pane expand Account Policies and select Account Lockout Policy option in it.
• Now in the right window pane look for the Account lockout threshold option and double click on it.

• A new window will be open and give the value after how many invalid password attempts you want to lock your computer.

• Click on Apply button and a window will be open telling you Account will lock down for 30 minutes. You can also change the time settings by clicking on the Reset account lockout counter according to your need.
• Now click OK.

That’s it. Now your computer will be temporally locked for some time that you had set in the settings when someone will enter wong password.

5 Reasons why iPhones don't come cheap in India

There has been fury generating amongst Apple fans in India, ever since the prices of the new iPhone 4S for India was unveiled. The prices received contempt across the nation and the various social media outlets. Fans across the country vented their annoyance, by talking about anything and everything that is cheaper than the new iPhone 4S, including a quick trip to Bangkok or Dubai. The iPhone 4S has been made available for pre-order through Airtel (doesn’t list the 64GB version) and Aircel at similar prices – 16GB for Rs.44,000, 32GB for Rs.50,900 and 64GB for Rs.57,500. 

 We asked Airtel, Aircel and Apple the reason behind such high prices, the current number of pre-orders and would it be a hurdle to sell the iPhone 4S? What we got is a royal run around for a simple question – why are we paying so much for the iPhone 4S? One company told us to simply speak to the other and vice versa.  While Aircel decided not to comment, an Airtel spokesperson said that it would be appropriate to reach out to the Apple team for pricing related queries, but further added, “While Apple has a uniform base price across the world, the local price differences take into account the import and local taxes as well as changes in exchange rate.” On the other hand, a spokesperson from Apple India said, “We have no comment to offer on the pricing and on the pre-orders, as that's something you need to check with our carrier partner's Airtel and Aircel.” 

Kingston predicts 2012 to be year of SSDs

The SSD picked up pace in the past year or so and there are people clearly buying them, along with traditional hard drives. In a news story by Digitimes, Kingston’s Manager of sales for flash memory, Nathan Su stated that the sale of SSDs in 2012 should increase by quite a lot. The reason for this is the average pricing of NAND flash memory. The price of 1GB of NAND flash is said to fall to around a dollar. Su expects SSD sales to rise in the second half of 2012. The cost of flash memory is something that has always made SSDs expensive and this is expected to change next year. Flash memory manufacturers will also move to a more efficient 19nm fabrication process. 

Another reason that’s likely to make SSDs popular is the current increase in price of hard drives. The cost of hard drives has risen, close to 150 percent in some countries and is likely to remain like that through 2012. There’s also a shortage of low-capacity industrial grade drives, which Kingston hopes will work in their favour. Kingston is slowly moving away from its module business and focusing more on the NAND Flash business, which it believes will bloom in the years to come.

Samsung requests Australian court to reconsider tablet ban

Update: A response has come to Samsung's appeal before an Australia appeals court. A report in Bloomberg Businessweek confirmed that Federal Court Justice Lindsay Foster, at a hearing in Sydney stated, “the result looks terribly fair to Apple and not terribly fair to Samsung." The hearing held, in the wake of Samsung's appeal to the court stating that the ban decision on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 be reconsidered. 

South Korea-based, Samsung Electronics is really hoping hard that the Australian ban on the sales of its ambitious Galaxy Tab 10.1 gets lifted off giving the tablet a new lease of life. If you've been closely following our reports in this respect, then you would remember that Cupertino-based, Apple, with whom Samsung has been battling it out in over 10 countries, globally had managed to get the latter's Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in Australia. Now, Samsung has approached an Australian appeals court with a request to reconsider the ban decision on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, confirms a report in Bloomberg Businessweek. The report quotes Samsung as stating that the judge who had "granted Apple Inc.’s request for the ban misunderstood the law."

 

Sony Tablet P gets a price tag, finally!

Sony had announced two Honeycomb running tablets, earlier on this year, the Sony Tablet S and the Sony Tablet P. These were the first tablets to be announced by the Japanese consumer products manufacturer. The Sony Tablet S was recently launched in India at a price of Rs.29,990, and many people expect this Sony slate to fare well in the market. Though Sony announced two tablets, the price of the only the Tablet S was revealed and until now, there has been no word on the pricing of the Tablet P, be it locally or internationally. Sony has now updated their UK site revealed the pricing of the uniquely shaped Tablet P.

Here is a quick glance at the specifications of the Sony Tablet P:

• Operating System - Android Honeycomb
• Processor - NVIDIA Tegra 2
• Resolution - 1024 x 480
• Screen Size – 5.5-inch
• Camera front – Face focus VGA
• Camera rear – 5.0 Megapixel
• External Memory - Full-size SD Card slot (for media exchange only)
• Internal Memory – 4 GB
• MicroUSB – 1
• Secure Digital (SD) Slot – 1
• Bluetooth Technology - Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR
• Wi-Fi - IEEE802.11b/g/n

MS Office 15 beta likely in January, 2012

Microsoft is busy working on their upcoming office suite - Office 2015. Winrumours is reporting that the first beta of the suite will be out as early as January, next year. A demonstration of the Technology Preview is expected to be shown at CES 2012. Developments on the Windows 8 operating system should obviously be shown as well alongside Office 15. Windows 8 has integrated parts of the Office ribbon in many of their applications, already. The new suite is expected to be tightly knit with Windows 8, which by itself has undergone a major user interface overhaul in preparation of being used as a desktop and tablet OS.

Ubuntu falls behind Fedora, Mint, openSUSE

According to the latest ranking list put forth by DistroWatch, popular OS, Ubuntu has lost out on its top position to Fedora, Mint, and open-SUSE. The results, which feature DistroWatch's findings for over a year show that Mint now holds the top spot. Now, if a report in Pingdom is to be believed, then Ubuntu's sudden fall could be attributed to the change in the default interface of version 11.04, also known as “Natty Narwhal”. This version was released in April, this year. Mint, on the other hand has shown fine results in the DistroWatch findings.

The report further adds that Ubuntu's market share had been constantly dipping, while that of Mint was doing spectacularly well. In figures, the report states that if one would look at the most recent statistics, with respect to the change levels in the last 30 days, with the average number for 2010, then Ubuntu fell by 47.2 percent, while Mint rose by 105 percent.

ASUS Transformer Prime Price in India – 10.1″ Android tablet powered by Quad core NVIDIA CPU

The new ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime is a 10.1-inch touchscreen display tablet loaded with the latest Android OS and powered by the latest and the most powerful tablet processor – the NVIDIA Tegra 3 . It is the world’s first Quad core processor powered tablet .

 

The new NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor will clock 1.3GHz when all four cores are active and will clock @ 1.4GHz when only core is active .Its name “Transformer” comes from its form changing feature . It comes with an optional mobile keyboard dock with which it becomes a standard laptop . Another unique feature in it is its Super IPS+ display screen which is 1.5x brighter than existing tablets display and supports wide 178 degree viewing angle . It comes with ASUS SonicMaster technology with superior sound quality experience . It sports 6% larger speakers with crystal clear sound and high sound fidelity .It comes with dual camera with one at front and rear each . The rear camera is a powerful 8MP sensor with LED flash . There is no 3G connectivity option . It is an ultra-thin tablet with a mere 8.3mm thickness . There is a free ASUS cloud storage option with the new ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime tablet  

Nokia Lumia sales to hit 20 lakh-mark: Deutsche Bank

How successful would Nokia’s new range of Lumia smartphones be in terms of sales? Not at all, say some. Others differ.
First, you had Pacific Crest’s James Faucette slashing his sales estimates down to a mere 5 lakh, or one-fourth of the original figure of 20 lakh handsets predicted by him. Then research analyst Pierre Ferragu from Bernstein trashed the phones by dubbing them as too expensive and lacking in innovation, indicating that the phones were all hype and far too little substance to set the cash registers jingling for their Finnish makers.
However, Deutsche Bank has dismissed the negative predictions and has predicted fourth quarter sales of 20 lakh for the Lumia handsets.
Earlier this week, the vendor claimed its Mango-powered Nokia 800 was sold out in the United Kingdom.
People have reportedly been lining up at Nokia stores to not just check out the handset, but also place orders for it, claimed the company in a post on its official blog.
It said, “In addition, we’ve had lots of people saying that they intend to switch to the Nokia Lumia 800 at their next upgrade.”

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Top Tips for Securing Your Smartphone

The more we use our smartphones and the more personal and sensitive data we keep on them you’d think the greater target they are for thieves and hackers, right?  Well, the fact is that mobile phones are already the number one target for thieves at the very least.  Your new phone could be valuable and while it could be blocked by networks in your own country, that’s not to stop the handset being sent abroad and used in a country where such blocking doesn’t exist.

But surely you don’t keep any sensitive information on your phone unless people really are interested in text messages from a loved one or emails from Groupon?  Here you’d be wrong again.  In this article I want to have a look through the different types of important information you keep on your smartphone, and look at ways you can keep it safe and secure.

Apple Rules The Heart Of Mobile Users

There have been numerous phones in the market, but there is only one brand that rules the heart of the people and that one is Apple.  GfK, a research firm has conducted a study in which they have put forth that Apple is the leading brand in terms of brand, which has won maximum brand loyalty.  This news would surely make other mobile companies look out for ways to get maximum foothold and that too as early as possible. As per the survey, 84% iPhone users said if they would have to buy a new phone then it would be without a doubt an iPhone.  As much as 60% of them said they would stick to their smart phones only and only 48% voted for Research In Motion's cell phones, which nothing but Blackberry.  This is something, which was expected as since Apple has introduced its first iPhone from that time their growth has never declined or has taken a break. It was in 2007, when they introduced their first iPhone and since then there is no looking back.  Ryan Garner, analyst at GfK said their report would bring that needed impetus in the market as it is very important for different brands to create their own niche place.

Google’s Internet Bus Reaches Kolkata

Introduced in 2009 to serve large number of people in the region, Google’s Internet Bus project is on its newest way to educate and aware more people about the Internet.

After spreading internet awarness all over the country, including 11 states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Google’s Internet Bus project is all set to enter Kolkata now. Moreover, the reports have also confirmed that the project will run through Uluberia on December 2 and will then cover some other regions like Haldia, Purulia, Asansol, Durgapur, Behrampore and Chandannagar.

“We had begun the internet bus back in February 2009 and now the bus will tour the state. We hope to create awareness about the internet as we believe that continuous efforts will enable the common man to utilize the knowledge”, said Google India Director Mr. Vinay Goel, who further added that bus is primarily targeting the first time users of internet, public places and schools.

Deal between Idea and Huawei

Recent reports have revealed that there has been the launch of a new series of 3G Android Smartphones by Idea cellular firm. This is as an effort to lure the 2G customers towards the area of 3G.

There has been a deal struck between Huawei and Idea. This is for outsourcing the 2.8 inch screen phone which will have all the Smartphone features in it. The price of the same is going to be Rs. 5850. Another phone in the same lineup is going to be from Blade, and its going to be a 3.5 inch touch screen, which is going to bear a price tag of Rs. 7, 992.

"These smartphones will further drive our existing 3G services. Users will now be able to access the Internet through these devices. We are also studying if we should enter the 3G tablet market. But it hasn't been decided upon yet", revealed Himanshu Kapania, from Idea Cellular.

China Supersedes US’s Smartphone Market

The Strategy Analytics, a research firm, has revealed that China has recently surpassed the US in the smartphone market. It has been revealed that the delivery and operation of smartphone in China market has increased by
58% in the third quarter of this year.

It is believed that a surge in the China’s smartphone market has occurred due to subsidies offered by operators like Apple. Moreover, lower price smartphones running on Google have also helped in boosting the Smartphone market of China.

Although the smartphone market of China has witnessed a surge, its shipments in the US have experienced a decline of 7%. Nokia alone shipped 6.8 million smartphones to China. Beside, Samsung shipped about 4.2 million smartphones in the China.

New iPhone 4 Available in India

The wait is finally over and the iPhone 4 will be available in India from tommorow. These phones are going to be brought to the country by Aircel and Airtel. They are going to be attractively priced at Rs. 44,500.

The prices of the phones available with both operators for now are the same. It is going to be launched with the different 64 GB and 32 GB versions, which are going to be priced at Rs. 57, 500 and Rs. 50, 900. The one currently available will be of 16 GB.

The country phone fanatics have been waiting for the launch of the new iPhone since a long time. There have been long inquiry lists and people have been waiting for new phone packed with features.

It has further been revealed that the pre booking for the phone will be available since 18th November midnight. They shall be available for purchase at Airtel and Aircel outlets from then on.

BlackBerry Aptitude Test in India

It has been recently revealed that there is going to be a free aptitude test organized by BlackBerry, in India. This is going to be as a part of the promotional strategies of the firm. They are going to organize this contest for management and engineering colleges, and the contestants shall use BlackBerry smartphones to be able to answer the questions of the test.

The aim of the firm is to give students something useful to do with their phones, which they normally use for whiling away time and connecting with friends.

"We are looking at the way a student can utilize time for productive work on mobile phones. We have decided to give students Aptitude Competition for Excellence applications free so that they can use time to prepare for competitive exams”, revealed director-commercial relationship India Hitesh Shah, Research in Motion.

Samsung Google TV to Arrive in 2012

Samsung Google TV would hit markets by next year and company officials have claimed that their products would be different from league.

There are sure that their TV sets being different from their competitors would become an advantage to them and would give stiff competition to their opponents. TV Department President Yoon Boo-keun said he would not refute allegations that they were going to launch their TV this year, but they could not as their product was quite similar to Google’s TV partners Logitech and Sony.

But, the incident has not dropped Samsung’s spirits down and they have been working really hard to get their product in the market by 2012. There is no end to problems as now LG is also working out to introduce its new model before Samsung.

For now, Google TV comes out with union of Sony Corporation and Logitech International set-top boxes which gives its viewers freedom to access internet on their TV screens. They could access internet videos as well as ‘m’ number of websites and there is a treat for video game lovers as they could play any video game on their TV screens.

Asus Technology Launches New Laptop

Asus Technology, an information technology company has claimed of creating a new laptop called "ZENBOOK UX31". The laptop would be available in two versions, one with 11.6 inch screen and other with 13.3 inch screen.  The laptops will have thickness of 0.11 inch and 0.67 inch at the rear. The laptop is being perceived as the slimmest laptop across the global markets.  For those who are interested in buying it, would have to make a payment of Rs 89,999. The laptop is easy to carry as it weighs 1.4kg alone and is powered by a core i7 processor. Besides, it also has 4GB RAM, 256GB hard disk and a chiclet style keyboard.  The ZENBOOK UX31 has already been introduced in India. However, those who don’t wish to buy the costly product can wait little longer as the manufacturer is planning to launch its low price version in 2012. 

Lenovo launches IdeaPad U300s Ultrabook in India

After the Acer S3, Lenovo steps in the Ultrabook segment with the launch of the U300s. Available from all major retail outlets, the IdeaPad U300s is priced at Rs.67,900, plus taxes. The U300s is built from a single piece of aluminium that form the chassis, similar to the MacBook Air. Due to this, it has a thickness of just 14.9mm and weighs less than 1.3 kg. It also packs in some technologies like ‘Breathable Keyboard’, which uses Intel’s Advanced Cooling Technology, which allows air to flow in through the keyboard and out the sides and the rear hinge.

This design removes the need for vents on the underside of the notebook, making it ideal for long periods of use. The Lenovo Long Life Battery provides the U 300s up to 8 hours of productive use or 30 days on standby. With Lenovo RapidCharge, the battery can be charged to 50 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. 

Nikon Coolpix P7100 Review

When one thinks of owning a professional camera, most likely the first things that will come to their mind are DSLR cameras. While this may be right to a very large extent, cameras, which are available in the compact form factor that can also offer some of the features and controls found on professional DSLR cameras. The advantages of having a professional compact camera are that it gives the user the ability to have most of the features of a DSLR in a compact camera body, which is much smaller than a DSLR. Nikon has been releasing professional compact cameras, since sometime now and have been building up on their existing line-up. Nikon recently unveiled the Nikon Coolpix P7100.

The Coolpix P7100 is based on the P7000, which was released last year and has some interesting features, which everyone, including professional photographers can find handy. Read on to know more about this flagship camera from Nikon’s Coolpix range of cameras.

Portable Fast Folder Eraser 2.6.0.0

If you have ever tried to delete a large folder structure with thousands of files, you probably noticed that Windows can take some time to delete completely the folder structure and most of the times you are unable to use the PC during the deletion process.

Fast Folder Eraser can erase folders much faster, the files are not sent to the recycle bin but are deleted directly and the system performances are not altered. We even added an option to reduce memory usage during the deletion process to make sure the user can even play PC games when deleting a very large folder structure.

Give Portable Fast Folder Eraser a try to fully assess its capabilities!

MapmyIndia launches free location-based places app

New Delhi: MapmyIndia, India's leader in digital maps, navigation and location-based services, has announced the launch of ShowNearby, a free location-based places app for Blackberry, Android and iPhone, that allows users to search and discover all places of interest nearby, such as restaurants, ATMs, petrol pumps, retail brands, coffee shops, tourist spots, emergency services etc. The application is powered by India's most comprehensive, accurate and detailed digital map data from MapmyIndia.

The application takes the GPS location of the user automatically and based on that, shows the list of places sorted by distance from where the user is. For any place the user wants to visit, the application shows the user details of the place, such as name, address and phone number. The user can view the place on MapmyIndia's detailed maps and get accurate directions to it, directly call up the place, save it to his contacts and also share the place with friends via email or SMS. The user can also see and request deals at outlets and brands in the application.

DeskTop Hunter Free Download

Desktop Hunter is a handy freeware application which allows you to easily capture the screen in many ways, including full screen capture, selected region capture and active window capture. You can save a screenshot in most popular image formats, such as PNG, JPEG, BMP and GIF, with the possibility to select compression and image quality. The application supports also an autosave feature, when you capture your desktop, the image will be automatically saved in a custom folder of your choice. You can define your own hotkeys for faster captures and is possible to start Desktop Hunter at every Windows start up.

Face Recognition Technology, the New Addition to Google Plus

The fastest growing social network, Google Plus, keeps improving its arsenal in the battle with rivals like Facebook and Twitter. The newest heavy weapon: face recognition. This technology allows users to tag the photos quicker and easier than before, without manually entering the identity for individual pictures.

When the user decides to publish an entire photo album, the new face recognition feature will display in one place all the faces found in that album. Later on, grouping photos according to the persons that appear in them will be much easier and then tag them with the name and the email will be made with just a few keystrokes. Users can access this new feature from three different places.

Icon-based free keyboard for Android

 

As you know, many people have problems with adjusting to the touchscreen keyboards on their smartphones, and we’ve seen all sorts of different keyboard solutions for smartphones, but none of those solutions used icons instead of text characters. First Icon Based Keyboard Is introduced this Month and it was the Application of the Month..

Android to see biggest business smartphone growth by 2016

Business smartphone users will begin to use Android handsets more than iPhones by 2016, according to predictions by analyst Ovum.

Ovum predicts Google’s OS will make biggest enterprise gains thanks to manageability improvements

Android will make significant gains in the business smartphone market over the next five years, and in 2016 will account for 26% of corporate device shipments, predicts Ovum – just 1% less than BlackBerry.

In its latest forecast, the independent telecoms analyst finds that enterprise shipments of Android smartphones will reach 14.2 million in 2016, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% from the 4.7 million it will reach at the end of this year, four times the rate of BlackBerry and double Apple’s growth predictions.

However, BlackBerry will remain the dominant player, with a narrow 27% market share of new device shipments in 2016. Its CAGR is predicted to be 5.3% between 2011 and 2016, rising from 10.9 million at the end of this year to 14.8 million in 2016.

Apple’s iPhone usage will also increase significantly due to ‘companies bowing to employee pressure’.

Ovum predicts shipments will reach 9.3 million in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 11.2% from the 4.9 million it will reach at the end of 2011.

Ovum principal analyst Pauline Trotter commented: ‘The business smartphone market will see significant growth over the next five years, with shipments rising from 26.8 million at the end of this year to 54 million in 2016, which is a CAGR of 12.4%.

Top 5 4G Phones of The Year

Will your favorite 4G phone make the cut? Check out our top 5 4G Phone countdown to find out.

At the rate 4G phones are cropping up, it's a wonder that 3G phones will still exist by next year. The 4G phone is a breed of its own, tending to flaunt high quality hardware and software specs like Android 2.3 Gingerbread and dual-core processors. Let's take a gander at our top 5 4G Phone countdown. 

USB Portable Mini Stereo Suction Mount Speakers are convenient

Not a fan of the tiny speakers that adorn your tablet? Looking for some external speakers that can help boost the volume of your device without forcing you to plug it into a dock of some sort? Well, the folks over at Brando are now selling USB Portable Mini Stereo Suction Mount Speakers that might do the trick. What’s great about these speakers are the fact that they have suction cup bases, which you can use to stick on the surface of your tablet, so you don’t have to hold them or find some place to put them while  they’re in use.
In fact, if you’re sitting next to a flat surface like a window, you can even mount the speakers onto it! The speakers are compatible with everything that has a 3.5mm audio jack, though you’ll need a USB port to keep the speakers juiced. Great for those times when you want to share your music and movies with your friends while you’re on the go. The USB Portable Mini Stereo Suction Mount Speakers are available now and well set you back $15 a set.

USB mini paper shredder

So you're the type who must be ready to purge all trace of your existence at a moment's notice, eh? Then check it secret agent man, 'cause USB Geek, as only they can, are offering the USB mini Paper Shredder and, uh, letter opener for those of you given a number without a name. Capable of throating 4.8-inch wide paper and shredding it to 0.13-inch bits, this pup can be powered off USB or even 4 x AA batteries when you need a bit more disposal oomph. Get your $32 pre-order in now 'cause odds are, you won't live to see tomorrow.

The USB Phantom Keystroker

High-Tech Office-Based Prank Device

With the advent of the incessantly beeping and easily concealable Annoy-a-tron, ThinkGeek has ushered in a new era of sophisticated office pranks sure to drive your co-workers bonkers while you snicker silently at your desk. Now the next advanced level in stealthy office joke electronics is ready for your enjoyment. The Phantom Keystroker may look like a harmless usb thumb drive, but it's actually a devious contraption of unlimited office-based torture. Simply discreetly attach the Phantom Keystroker to any extra USB port on your victim's computer, no drivers needed.

The Keystroker emulates a keyboard and mouse and periodically makes random mouse movements, toggles caps-lock and types out odd garbage text and phrases. Switches on the side allow you to choose between keyboard garbage typing, caps lock-toggle, annoying mouse movements or all three. An adjustment dial sets the duration between "events". We recommend you don't set it too frequently so as to extend the agony. Your hapless co-worker pal will think his computer has been possessed or infected by a destructive virus. As he writhes in anger and furiously dials tech support you can rest easy with a job well done.

HTC Aims For 40 Million Smartphones From New Plant

HTC is completing construction of a manufacturing plant in northern Taiwan by early next year, hinting at its plans for future growth in the competitive smartphone market.

The company's factory in the city of Taoyuan may produce as many as 40 million phones a year when operational, according to website Digitimes. With HTC likely ending 2011 with 48 million handsets shipped, the additional plant is expected to help the Taiwan-based phone maker keep pace as its market position potentially strengthens.

News of the plant's near-completion follows yesterday's Canalys report ranking HTC as top smartphone maker in the U.S., based on record third-quarter handset shipments. HTC has pulled ahead in its heated competition with rival Apple, at least for the time being.

However the company's banner third quarter also reflects three months without a new iPhone, which may have driven some customers to migrate to HTC's Android devices. Skyrocketing iPhone 4S sales may swing the pendulum back toward Apple in coming months.

In the meantime, HTC appears to be preparing to ramp up smartphone supply. Building another factory is consistent with HTC's strategy of keeping hardware manufacturing in-house. HTC CFO Winston Yung has described internal production as an advantage for the company, since it allows the handset maker to better control hardware costs and keep a tight rein on its supply chain.

This attitude is in sharp contrast to rival smartphone makers such as Apple and Nokia, which outsource manufacturing to contractors, possibly losing some control over their supply chains in the process.

Supply issues may soon plague Apple in the midst of high demand for the iPhone 4S. Best Buy stores are currently sold out of the device, and customers are expected to wait anywhere from two weeks to nearly a month for a new iPhone from an Apple Store or carrier retail location.

HTC may avoid similar problems as its Taoyuan plant, which, when fully functional, may give the company extra breathing room as it pushes new Android models to market.

The company has softened its fourth-quarter outlook, citing uncertainty around the launch of new phone models and the global economy. This is likely a smart outlook for the now-leading handset maker, but if Apple fails to beef up supply of its popular smartphone to meet customer demand over the holiday season, HTC may exceed expectations.

If inadequate iPhone production hinders Apple's end-of-year sales, HTC may put itself in a position to widen its lead and put its new manufacturing plant to full use next year.

More than two-fifths 'own smartphones'

More than two-fifths of the UK's population owns a smartphone, according to recent research.

The study, carried out by Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, also found that more than two-thirds of all mobile phone purchases are smartphones, with almost half (49.9 per cent) of them powered by Google's Android operating system.

Of the Android phones, HTC is the leading manufacturer with 44.8 per cent of sales. However, both BlackBerry and Apple's iPhone handsets sold more than any single Android phone manufacturer, with 22.5 per cent and 18.5 per cent respectively.

Dominic Sunnebo, of Kantar Worldpanel Comtech, suggested that Android users tended to remain loyal to Google's operating system but not to the handset maker, representing a threat to the market leaders as more devices become available.

'Manufacturers need to work harder than ever to make their proposition stand out to customers,' he added.

Google recently announced the launch of an upgrade to its Nexus S smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus, which will go on sale this month (November). 

Nokia smartphones to feature games from Electronic Arts

Nokia ties up with Electronic Arts, the company renowned for excellent mobile games like Need for Speed. This new venture will bring its top 20 games for Nokia devices exclusively.

Eariler also, we have seen few popular EA games bundled and available for Nokia phones, however this time they will be exclusive for Nokia gadgets only. Moreover, these games will be available on both feature phones as well as smartphone platforms.

While at the time of Nokia event on October 27, Barry Cottle, executive vice president and GM for EA Interactive announced that the EA content will be available exclusively for Nokia devices soon. This will get a head start from the S40 platform. Electronic Arts will provide Nokia users with 40 popular games free of cost.

In addition, EA will also bring games for the upcoming Nokia latest Windows Phone running smartphones. The mobile gaming leader plans to introduce 20 of its most popular games for Nokia Windows Phone handsets.

As the company has not revealed more information yet, it is assumed that the Windows Phone will also get these games for free, just like S40 devices.

ESPN also seems quite interested in Nokia handsets worldwide and due to which it will soon bring a combined application for its several services for Nokia phones all across the world.

All these games as well as applications are likely to be unveiled in few months. However, they might also come in installments starting with the most famous titles. There is no fixed timeline is available as of now.